something (almost) every weekday, to think, talk, and write about in English

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Japan is famous for its great stationery. Here’s something new and unusual: the Omoshiro Block (“fun block”). According to Spoon and Tamago, right now it’s only available and the Tokyu Hands in Osaka and it’s pretty pricey, but it might make a fun graduation gift for someone.

I think it’s funny that when I think about how I’m drawing it, I draw it clockwise — maybe because I’ve been in Japan so long? But when I’m not thinking about it, I draw it counter-clockwise — my native-English-speaker self is still stronger subconsciously.

Some excerpts follow. Try paraphrasing these sentences after you read the article, and then write your opinion about the topic. I did the first one as an example:

Original:

Paraphrase:

There is a new “boyband” in China that seems typical on the surface. The band consists of 5 good-looking singers who sing cheerful, danceable songs, and many young women have become fans. But there is one big difference: they’re girls, not boys.

“The A in the band’s name refers to Adonis, a figure in ancient Greek mythology whose name has become synonymous with male beauty.”

“Job advertisements (in China) frequently specify a desired gender, and five feminist activists were detained in 2015 for planning events to raise awareness of sexual harassment to mark International Women’s Day.

“Wang (the manager) said he originally intended to push a “cutesy” girl group. But Acrush has since become the company’s star act after a smattering of concerts led to overwhelmingly positive response, including a flood of love letters from female fans.

“The manager has prohibited members of Acrush from discussing their sexual orientation, and he said there was a sizeable contingent of “anti-fans” who trolled the band over their looks.”

“There’s a long history of cross-gender performance in China, male playing female roles and vice-versa, in traditional Chinese theatre.”

“Feminist issues are getting more and more politically sensitive under the current political regime, but as long as they don’t mention any gender issues and remain entertainment-oriented, it’s all OK.”